Air Traffic Management Blockchain Infrastructure for Security, Authentication, and Privacy

Current radar-based air traffic service providers may preserve privacy for military and corporate operations by procedurally preventing public release of selected flight plans, position, and state data. The FAA mandate for national adoption of Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B) in 2020 does not include provisions for maintaining these same aircraft-privacy options, nor does it address the potential for spoofing, denial of service, and other well-documented risk factors. This paper presents an engineering prototype that embodies a design and method that may be applied to mitigate these ADS-B security issues. The design innovation is the use of an open source permissioned blockchain framework to enable aircraft privacy and anonymity while providing a secure and efficient method for communication with Air Traffic Services, Operations Support, or other authorized entities. This framework features certificate authority, smart contract support, and higher-bandwidth communication channels for private information that may be used for secure communication between any specific aircraft and any particular authorized member, sharing data in accordance with the terms specified in the form of smart contracts. The prototype demonstrates how this method can be economically and rapidly deployed in a scalable modular environment

Augmented Reality Tower Technology Assessment

Augmented Reality technology may help improve Air Traffic Control Tower efficiency and safety during low-visibility conditions. This paper presents the assessments of five off-duty controllers who shadow-controlled' with an augmented reality prototype in their own facility. Initial studies indicated unanimous agreement that this technology is potentially beneficial, though the prototype used in the study was not adequate for operational use. Some controllers agreed that augmented reality technology improved situational awareness, had potential to benefit clearance, control, and coordination tasks and duties and could be very useful for acquiring aircraft and weather information, particularly aircraft location, heading, and identification. The strongest objections to the prototype used in this study were directed at aircraft registration errors, unacceptable optical transparency, insufficient display performance in sunlight, inadequate representation of the static environment and insufficient symbology

Air Traffic Management Blockchain Infrastructure for Security, Authentication, and Privacy

Current radar-based air traffic service providers may preserve privacy for military and corporate operations by procedurally preventing public release of selected flight plans, position, and state data. The FAA mandate for national adoption of Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B) in 2020 does not include provisions for maintaining these same aircraft-privacy options, nor does it address the potential for spoofing, denial of service, and other well-documented risk factors. This paper presents an engineering prototype that embodies a design and method that may be applied to mitigate these ADS-B security issues. The design innovation is the use of an open source permissioned blockchain framework to enable aircraft privacy and anonymity while providing a secure and efficient method for communication with Air Traffic Services, Operations Support, or other authorized entities. This framework features certificate authority, smart contract support, and higher-bandwidth communication channels for private information that may be used for secure communication between any specific aircraft and any particular authorized member, sharing data in accordance with the terms specified in the form of smart contracts. The prototype demonstrates how this method can be economically and rapidly deployed in a scalable modular environment

Data-Centric Air Traffic Management Decision Support Tool Model

‡This paper describes the differences between a data-centered and an algorithmic design model as it applies to air traffic management software. An example of converting an existing algorithmic software baseline to a data-centric model is discussed. Using the data-centric model, a proof of concept flight deviation tool was developed. The deviation tool received inputs from a real-time data manager and a third party database to supply a list of aircraft identified as off their assigned flight path. The results were displayed using a standard web browser. From the development of this prototype it was determined that the use of a database should be coupled with a data manager to ensure a timely interaction with the data

Comparison of Trajectory Synthesis Algorithms for Monitoring Final Approach Compression

This study analyzes the performance of aircraft in-trail separation monitoring algorithms using 480,000 flights on the final approach courses of 25 major airports in the National Airspace System. While compression monitoring is expected to help air traffic controllers achieve and maintain higher arrival rates, the trajectory prediction requirements for it are not well understood. To address this gap, analytical trajectories were constructed from flight plan and track data for flights arriving at the 14 major and 11 satellite airports of the 8 busiest terminal areas. Three types of analytical trajectory models were compared. These trajectory models were a constant speed model, and two heuristic deceleration models. The trajectory prediction accuracy and separation prediction accuracy of each of these models were calculated for all aircraft pairs along the final approach course. The results were used to rank the overall performance of the various trajectory models in terms of the true and false alerts by the compression monitoring algorithms. The best performing trajectory model enforced the landing speed constraint, used a landing speed based upon weight class, and did not adjust the landing speed by airport elevation. All of the trajectory models exhibited significantly more false alarms when excess in-trail separation was less than 0.5 nm

Augmented reality tower technology flight test

ugmented reality technology adapted for air traffic control tower applications was used to track an OH-58C helicopter in proximity to an airport. A camera and 'see-through' display system was used to measure the registration error of static airport features and dynamic test aircraft. The observed registration errors of the test aircraft were largely attributable to two terms of error: 1) aircraft surveillance transport latency, and 2) registration error (from all sources) of the static environment. Compensating for registration errors of static objects and modeling aircraft movement reduces registration errors for dynamic (aircraft) objects to ≤2° of error for aircraft-surveillance transport latency ≤ 5 seconds, and to ≤1° of error for transport latency ≤ 2 seconds

Design of Augmented Reality Tools for Air Traffic Control Towers

A series of head-tracking, see-through, head-mounted display prototypes were developed and evaluated by five controllers at Moffett Field air traffic control tower. The controller cadre identified several deficiencies in the initial prototype, such as low optical transmissivity of the display, unacceptable compensation for tower lighting conditions, inadequate symbology and data block information display, and unacceptable discomfort caused by wearing the head-worn displays. Though the cadre found the initial prototype too immature for operational use, they were unanimously supportive of the potential for augmented reality technology to eventually address operational tower issues. These issues include surface control, coordination with facilities and vehicles, information acquisition and runway incursion. I

Modeling Tactical Trajectory Accuracy Effects on Traffic Flow Management Operations

Software, databases, and methods from previous predictive model studies were used to assess benefits of augmenting parametric methods with kinetic model trajectory predictions. Those results were consistent with other studies of models for aircraft position prediction accuracy during climbs and descents. A kinetic model reduced error for average arrival meter fix crossing time predictions across a one-hour predictive range by 0.6 minutes (39% improvement) when compared to the parametric model used in an experimental traffic flow management system. These results are comparable to the kinetic model's 1.1 minute (47% improvement) error reduction over the operational traffic flow management's parametric implementation. Data also show national convective weather conditions do not appear to affect performance differentials. Kinetic systems do not necessarily ensure performance superior to parametric systems in all areas. Parametric models of air traffic management procedural effects on altitude profiles demonstrated an average 10% error reduction for selected sector entry and occupancy metrics. The sources of these particular errors are not inherent to kinetic methods and could be addressed by procedural modeling improvements. The errors reductions achievable by kinetic models do not ameliorate pre-departure uncertainties, though traffic flow management functions a variety of air traffic management teams and functions may benefit from these levels of increased accuracy at their information exchange boundaries, particularly at Center, sector, and meter-fix crossings

Augmented Reality in a Simulated Tower Environment: Effect of Field of View on Aircraft Detection

An optical see-through, augmented reality display was used to study subjects' ability to detect aircraft maneuvering and landing at the Dallas Ft. Worth International airport in an ATC Tower simulation. Subjects monitored the traffic patterns as if from the airport's western control tower. Three binocular fields of view (14 deg, 28 deg and 47 deg) were studied in an independent groups' design to measure the degradation in detection performance associated with the visual field restrictions. In a second experiment the 14 deg and 28 deg fields were presented either with 46% binocular overlap or 100% overlap for separate groups. The near asymptotic results of the first experiment suggest that binocular fields of view much greater than 47% are unlikely to dramatically improve performance; and those of the second experiment suggest that partial binocular overlap is feasible for augmented reality displays such as may be used for ATC tower applications